Star Wars and Toy Hype in May of 1999

“Hasbro making a new bid to be king of toys with ‘Star Wars’ collection” is a 1999 Associated Press article by Terrence Petty in which it was suggested that the new Star Wars film, The Phantom Menance, and the associated toyline could push Hasbro back into the top spot ahead of Mattel.

Well, we all know how that turn out for Hasbro and the retailers: Not well. That Phantom Menace toyline eventually found its way to clearance, and the overwhelming failure of the hype to generate cash meant that the next film saw a much smaller hype machine at work.

The article even recognized (at the time) that there was a hell of a lot of hype involved with the film. Petty wrote:

“On Monday, the company will introduce perhaps the most-hyped line of toys in the history of the industry: a series of action figures based on “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace,” the eagerly awaited new film by George Lucas.”

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